


The Sixth Nonsense

by kuscospoison



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Chihiro identifies as male but enjoys crossdressing and that's a ok y'all, Chihiro says fuck, Drug Use, Gore, Hifumi and Celeste bonded over obscure manga, Hiro has ADHD, Hiro has dyslexia, I can see dead people feat. your favorite dumbass, Ishimaru says fuck, Multi, he doesn't wanna talk to dead people but he's kinda stuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2020-09-23 03:56:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20333656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuscospoison/pseuds/kuscospoison
Summary: There's a reason Hiro doesn't fuck with the occult.





	1. Sayaka

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno if anyone had this idea yet but I love my disaster pan palm tree man so here y'all go.

There's a reason Hiro doesn't fuck with the occult. 

Sure, he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows when to be cautious. When to not mess with something he doesn't understand, especially when the possible consequences can be terrifying. And he knows for a fact that those consequences are real. Because he has a secret. 

Fortune telling is an industry that truly is dependent on getting people to believe something. It requires intuition and being able to read people. Hiro doesn't talk about it because that would ruin his career. He's an entrepreneur and telling people that what he does is basically just guessing what people want to hear based on their appearance would be detrimental to his business. But he's different than some psychics and clairvoyants in one thing. 

He never, ever will do a seance. 

He knows what kind of doors a person can open with a Ouija board that should remain shut. He knows what calling upon spirits can do. But that's not all. 

He knows this all from firsthand. Unlike most psychics, he really is the real deal. He has been able to see the dead ever since he can remember. It was terrifying, since most newly dead will appear as they were when they died (injuries and all, even if their death was brutal and violent). It instilled a fear of what lay beyond the veil and a fear of the "talent" (or in his opinion, curse) he had been born with. It meant growing up an anxious, bed-wetting child and a cowardly adult. 

It was why he had reacted with such panic when the reality of the killing game became apparent. Being trapped in a place where people were going to die? No escape and a very limited drug supply (and no booze either, he had checked the storage room as soon as it opened)? He knew from the moment Sayaka's death was announced that this was going to be his personal hell. 

He had been in the dining hall when he saw Sayaka's restless spirit. He saw the knife in her gut and the blood on her clothes and it made his stomach churn. He could only sip his tea with shaking hands and pray she didn't notice his reaction and the fact that he had directly looked at what was an empty space. It was the night after she died, he had hoped and used every good luck charm he had to avoid seeing her and yet here she was. Now it was a matter of keeping his eyes on the book he was reading on Ancient Rome he had brought from home. 

Sayaka approached him and he was beginning to read the same sentence over and over again, his heartbeat quickening. "You...can you see me?" She mumbled. 

Hiro didn't say anything, he just kept thinking go away, please go away. 

She sniffled. "I...Did Leon get caught at least? The message was hard to read but I couldn't see to write it…" Her voice cracked. "I tried to frame Makoto, I didn't mean…"

"If he didn't we'd all be dead. The stupid bear told us if we didn't guess the right person that we all die except for the blackened." He finally looked up, his guilt overpowering his fear. Listening to the girl cry like that had doomed him. 

She sobbed. "I almost...killed everyone? I thought it would just be me! That I could just leave and then you guys…" her head fell into her hands. 

Hiro leaned forward. "Hey, you were just upset, everybody was. I was scared too. Still am. My mom…" He swallowed hard, thinking about how she was still captive. "I don't blame you for trying to get out. Especially since it's really terrifying for me to...to see the people that die." 

Sayaka blinked. "So you weren't a conman after all…" 

Hiro scowled. "I'm not a conman!" 

Sayaka snorted a little, a tiny smile gracing her bloodstained features. She looked down at herself. "Am I...going to be stuck like this? You must be really freaked out." 

Hiro shrugged. "I think after a while the dead can figure out how to look like...y'know, not dead or whatever. It takes some time." He shrugged. "You're not the worst I've seen, I've seen people wandering the streets after they died in a car accident. And those people really get banged up." He tried really hard not to remember it. "But yeah, I don't really like seeing bloody banged up people walking around in my daily life. It's why I don't fuck with the occult, y'know?"

Sayaka nodded. "I can understand that." She smiled a little more. "You're not as stupid as you seem, Hiro." 

Hiro couldn't help but internally wince. His intelligence was a sensitive point for him, especially since he had been held back so much. "I would say thanks if that wasn't so rude. I'm not book smart, I get that." He scowled at her. "You're not as manipulative as you seem. You framed Makoto and you took advantage of Leon having a crush on you. That's low, even to someone like me." He knew he didn't need to elaborate on what "someone like me meant." He knew he was an impulsive, greedy coward. He also had known about Leon's crush by talking to him a few times. They had both gotten along well, which made watching him die even harder.

Sayaka looked down. "I know. I just thought it would make me feel less guilty if I killed a shallow jerk like him." 

Hiro stood up and picked up his book and tea. "Yeah, well, look where judging a book by its cover got you. Goodnight, Sayakacchi." He sighed and went to wash his tea cup. He wondered when he would see Junko and Leon. If he saw Leon as he had appeared at his death he knew he was going to throw up. After the bludgeoning from the baseballs had gotten bad enough he looked away. But on the other hand, he would get to see his friend again. 

As he was going to leave she tried to grab his jacket, but her hands went through. "Wait, please. I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You just seem more...thick skinned than most people." She looked down, bottom lip wobbling. 

Hiro internally groaned at feeling bad that he was making her cry again. "I'm tired and stressed, so forgive me if I'm a little on edge." He had tried to read to keep himself focused on something so he wouldn't see any dead people, but it had just ended up with a headache after the letters on the page shifted and confused him, as they always did. He probably had some kind of brain thing that made reading a challenge, but his mother had always been working growing up and his school hadn't exactly been supportive in giving students resources if they had learning difficulties like he did. It had made school frustrating and despair-inducing, and he eventually just gave up on the whole thing (especially when he began making good money on his fortune telling). 

Sayaka nodded. "Yeah, I guess everybody is. I didn't really think about it. I'm sorry." She smiled at him. "But it's nice to have someone to talk to at least." 

Hiro sighed. "I don't usually talk to dead people." 

Sayaka frowned. "But it's part of your ultimate talent, right? And you could help people." 

Hiro shook his head. "I haven't actually met anyone like me. So most people would probably just assume I'm taking advantage of grieving people. And I wouldn't do it for free. I need the money, but...I just don't wanna mess with this. I'll talk to you and everyone else that dies here, but I'm not gonna be a messenger boy or anything like that." He pointed a finger at her. "And don't talk to me when there are people around, I don't wanna look like a nutcase." 

Sayaka nodded. "I understand. Thank you. Do you think I could talk to the other dead people? Like, could I apologize to Leon?"

Hiro shrugged. "I don't know! I don't fuck with this or any dead people in general! And I've never seen that happen, so I don't know. Most of the dead people I've seen are just lost and confused." He couldn't help but get a little snappy.

Sayaka nodded. "Right, sorry. I'll just try to look for him. If I can figure out how to...not look dead I can maybe help him so you don't have to see him all gross and stuff." She shrugged. "I don't need to sleep anymore, so…" 

Hiro scrubbed his face. "That would be nice, but his death was really fucking gross. He got...baseballed to death or whatever. With one of those shooting machines they have in batting cages?" He mumbled.

Sayaka looked horrified. "Really? That's horrible!" Her eyes threatened to shed more tears and Hiro internally panicked a little. 

"Uh...yeah...look, it's getting late and the dining hall is gonna close soon, so I need to get moving." 

Sayaka nodded. "Right, sorry to keep you up. Goodnight, Hiro. And thank you again."

Hiro nodded. "Goodnight, Sayakacchi. Good luck finding Leon." 

Sayaka gave a little salute and seemed to march out of the dining hall, which looked cute and funny considering how petite she was. Hiro couldn't help but smile a bit as he walked back to his room.


	2. Leon

The next morning Hiro couldn't help but feel a stab of fear at his heart. What if Leon showed up during the stupid morning meetings that uptight hall monitor guy insisted on? If he saw the baseball player, especially if he was still new to the whole being a ghost deal, it would definitely cause a scene. I can't do this, he finally started thinking. Maybe this was why making friends was so hard for the fortune teller, despite his sunny attitude. It wasn't like he could just outright tell people that he could see ghosts, right? No one would believe him. His cowardly and often reclusive behavior without any explanation was a surefire way to drive away possible friends. Add that to the shameful limbo of being held back over and over had put him in and it made his life a lonely one.

He gave up, going into his stash of drugs to try to numb himself. There was no way he was going to see Leon sober, and if he just hid in his room, it would only cause suspicion (which he really didn't want; his strategy so far, if it even existed, had been to keep his head down, follow the rules, and just stay out of the way). A quick joint this early wouldn't be too bad, right? If anyone asked he could just say he was stressed or whatever (which wasn't a lie). 

He finished smoking and getting ready for the day, his anxiety dulling a bit along with other mental capacities. But it was better than just being sober, even if it did make him feel like he was in a fog. It was the best he could do with the situation he had to deal with. Nobody in their right minds would believe he could see the dead. He knew that much. So the only way to keep himself sane and not puking up breakfast was to numb himself and just reinforce the "weed guy" stereotype a lot of his classmates pinned on him. 

When he got to the dining hall he was feeling a lot better, a lazy smile back on his face. He sat next to Byakuya, he was that relaxed. Of course, this just earned him a sharp glare, but he didn't really care. He barely listened to what the hall monitor guy was talking about as he instead daydreamed about what he would do if he left this hellhole…(he hadn't realized he had thought the word if instead of when). 

Taka slammed a hand on the table in front of Hiro. "Hagakure! Are you even listening to the conversation?" He scowled at him fiercely. 

Hiro just snorted. "Nope…" he grinned. 

Taka bared his teeth. "Wait, are you...are you high? You're eyes are all bloodshot and you sound weird…" He looked positively scandalized.

Hiro could only answer with a borderline-hysterical giggle. "Dude, who the fuck cares? People are dying." He sat back. "I can sit here at this meeting, but I have no idea what to do in this situation and I'm not going to pretend to." He closed his eyes. 

Taka's voice sounded...worried. "Did the deaths that happened yesterday affect you that badly? Do you...would you like a hug or something?" Yeah, because the angry little hall monitor would be a great hugger, Hiro assumed.

Hiro groaned and slowly opened his eyes, moving to look at Taka but then catching on something behind him. 

Something much more gruesome. 

Seeing what had been his friend before he had died immediately made bile rise in his stomach. The blood...the bruising...had it not been for the red hair Hiro wouldn't have even recognized the former baseball star. His eyes were swollen shut, blood dripping from his mouth...and his torso…

Hiro leapt out of his chair and began sprinting out of the dining hall as if the devil were chasing him. "Gottagotothebathroomsorrybye!" He managed without vomiting all over everything. 

"Wh- hang on! We haven't concluded the meeting! You haven't been dismissed yet!" Taka yelled after him. 

Hiro could not have given less of a fuck than in that moment. He barely made it to the nearest bathroom (the one in his room) before puking into the toilet. So much for self medicating. He had seen car accident victims who had been sliced up, missing limbs or crushed chests...and yet that had never been as bad. Leon's torso had been...it must have been hit to the point where it had been torn open. And the bloody mess that had made of Leon's torn up shirt...and...and…

Once again Hiro was retching into the toilet, gripping the bowl like his life depended on it. As he finally flushed the toilet he contemplated how he fucking hated that stupid bear for dreaming up such a gruesome and painful punishment. Hiro was cursing him with every bad word in the dictionary as he brushed his teeth for the second time that day and finally answered the door that had been pounded on since his escape from the dining hall. 

Taka stood at his door, his look of righteous anger changing to one of surprise. "You look...unwell. Were you feeling sick?" 

Hiro could only nod. Was it really that obvious? Even if it was, Hiro didn’t really care. He would have taken any excuse offered to him to not leave his room.

Taka nodded. "It would be acceptable for you to take the morning off to rest." 

Hiro only nodded again. As if he needed permission. He wouldn't have stepped foot outside of his room if he had been offered eighty million yen to clear his debt with the Yakuza. There was a snowball's chance in hell of him leaving his room to find Leon's specter again. 

Instead of listening to whatever bullshit Taka had to say Hiro just slammed the door and crawled into bed, pleasantly surprised at how quickly he fell asleep. Whatever task the class was carrying out could wait, as far as Hiro was concerned. He just prayed to any god or kami that was listening that the next deaths weren't going to be as brutal as Leon's. 

When Hiro woke up he heard voices in his room. Part of him wanted to roll over and ignore it while the other part was going into panic mode because he was fairly certain he had locked his door after Taka had left. 

"Who knew the pothead actually read books…" A familiar voice mumbled. 

Rude, but most people assumed Hiro didn't read. He did, just much slower than most people. Somebody who had gotten held back so many times couldn't possibly read books, right? It wasn’t the fact that he could barely pay attention in class and the words always seemed to endlessly shift and get mixed up, he was just stupid. At least that’s what everyone always assumed anyways.

"Don't be so mean, he was really nice to me when I first...y'know, appeared." That voice sounded like...Sayaka? Hiro's sleep-addled mind was beginning to put things together.

"Well pardon me, I didn't get the welcome that you did. He fucking ran like I was a monster out of some horror movie." Was that...Leon? He was speaking a lot more clearly than he should have…

"That's because you looked like one, dummy. You looked like a zombie or something. You're just lucky I was able to figure out how to appear as I want and teach you so you would stop dragging your entrails around. That was just gross."

Very, very hesitantly Hiro turned in his bed to look at the source of the voices. Leon was...he just looked like Leon. As he had looked before his execution. And Sayaka looked normal too. Hiro heaved a sigh of relief as he stared at them before finally speaking. "Why...what are you guys doing in my room?" 

Leon grinned. "The weed man awakens! I got bored. Me and Sayaka met up and she helped me figure out the whole being dead deal and then we wandered around for a bit. Then we came here to bug you." 

Hiro felt a sense of surreal nostalgia (was that a thing?) at seeing Leon speak so casually after being murdered. The guy went through moods like nobody's business but Hiro still couldn't help but feel shocked. He had watched Leon die one of the most painful deaths Hiro could think of and now he was smiling like everything was fine, standing next to his attempted murderer and murder victim. How was Sayaka talking so casually with her murderer? Did those things all just become irrelevant when you died? Hiro could only sit up and rub his eyes. "What...time is it?" 

Sayaka looked at Hiro's clock on the wall behind him. "2 pm." 

Hiro groaned. "Jesus Christ I overslept…" He scrubbed his face. "Ishimarucchi is probably gonna be so pissed at me…" he heaved a sigh. 

Leon sat on his bed and looked at him. "You mean eyebrows hall monitor man?" He snorted. "What a buzzkill." He lay back on the bed. 

Sayaka scowled at Leon. "You're not going to apologize?"

Leon frowned. "For what?" 

Sayaka only gave a more disapproving look. "For frightening him earlier! You looked absolutely horrifying!"

Leon groaned and threw his hands up. "Hiro I'm sorry for grossing you out! That good?" 

Hiro, still half asleep, grumbled out an affirmative as he got out of bed and attempted to make his hair look sort of tamed (emphasis on sort of, it was already naturally messy and stubborn).


	3. Chihiro

There was no way in hell Hiro would be able to sleep at all the night after Mondo’s trial. Not when he could still hear Taka screaming, crying and begging Monokuma in his head. Not after seeing the way the hall monitor just...shut down. After the trial he had gone to his room and hadn’t left for the rest of the day. It was painful to watch someone with so much energy just lose all of the light and fire within them. 

Not that sleeping was something he was getting a lot of recently, what with the whole killing game and seeing dead people business. It wasn’t all bad, though. He would often wander through the halls at night (because that whole curfew thing was clearly not being taken seriously anymore). At least he had someone to talk to, since the dead no longer needed sleep. 

“So Chihiro was a dude, huh? Wild. I knew Mondo would kill somebody, the guy was a ticking time bomb, but...of all the people to kill…” Leon frowned a bit after hearing the news from Hiro as they walked around the second floor of Hope’s Peak.

“Yeah, it was a pretty rough trial. And Taka didn’t handle it well.” He sighed heavily, running a shaking hand through his dreadlocks. “But that’s not even half of why I can’t sleep. I’m scared of seeing the new dead people. Chihiro’s eyes when we found him in the locker room…” He shuddered, remembering how glassy they looked among the partially dried blood that streaked his face. “And Mondo, what will he even look like? The guy got fucking liquefied!” 

Leon made a face. “That’s nasty. I wonder if it hurt more than my death...mine was pretty bad. And I saw Chihiro’s body, that was pretty freaky. I don’t really go to the trials. I don’t wanna mess with that shit, y’know? Sayaka watches them, cuz she’s still rooting for Makoto or whatever. But I don’t really have much business with the living.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down. “I honestly just wanna go outside, see the sunshine and grass. Maybe even find a baseball field if this school’s got one. I wanted to play again and I didn’t...I didn’t get the chance.” He looked up at Hiro and there was a spark of fear in his eyes. “If I get to go outside, you think I’ll have my unfinished business or whatever resolved and like, go towards the light? I’m not sure I’m ready for that…”

Hiro shrugged. “I dunno dude. Even if I can see the dead, I know pretty much nothing about the afterlife. It kinda freaks me out, y’know? Seeing dead people made me really aware of my own mortality at a young age, so like...I worry about it a lot sometimes. I try to avoid thinking about it, but it’s really hard in this kinda situation.” 

Leon nodded. “Right, right. It’s cool bro. Talking to you and hanging out with Sayaka has helped me a lot with...being dead. It feels really freaky and weird to say that, y’know? But I am, I’m dead. I remember feeling my fucking skull crack open from the baseballs, I remember my ribs breaking and cutting into my lungs. It hurt like a bitch.” He looked down. “Sorry, you probably don’t wanna hear that. But Sayaka says she remembers feeling cold and sleepy as she bled out, how much the knife hurt. I apologized, like, ten times after that. But it’s not like it really matters anymore, right? It just feels so unimportant. I’m just glad to have someone to talk to. And I guess I’m not totally disconnected from the living. You’re my friend.” He smiled a bit. “We’ve been friends for longer than you think, actually…”

Hiro wanted to ask him what that meant, but before he could he heard a weak voice calling out for help and looked down the hall. Walking from the direction of the locker room. He knew exactly who it was, he wanted to run away so bad. But Chihiro had been so sweet and innocent...he didn’t deserve that. So he took a deep breath and ran over to him. 

“H-hiro? Do you have a first aid kit? I…I hurt my head.” Chihiro sniffled and looked up at Hiro, and the clairvoyant only felt a building sense of dread.

“Uh. Okay. This is gonna be a hard pill to swallow but, um...you’re kinda...uh…” He felt himself break out in a sweat. Telling someone they were dead was a lot harder than he thought. How did Chihiro not know? The dent in his skull should’ve been enough of a hint…

“Chihiro, feel your forehead. You won’t need any medical help.” Leon said, as graceful with his words as ever. Hiro couldn’t help but scowl at him for his lack of subtlety. 

“What? What are you talking about…” Chihiro mumbled as his hand reached up and began touching his forehead. It was only a moment before his eyes shot wide open and he gasped. “Oh God. Am I...Am I dead? Did you guys have the trial? What happened?” There was definitely panic in the programmer’s eyes, but he seemed to be handling the news of his death okay.

Hiro nodded. “You’re kinda dead. And yeah, we had the trial and found Mondo guilty.” 

Tears began to roll down Chihiro’s bloodstained cheeks. “He didn’t...he didn’t mean it. I knew his secret was really important to him, he seemed really on edge.” He sighed. “I guess you guys found out about me, huh?” He looked down, looking ashamed.

“Yeah, but it took some work to figure it out. Mondo tried to hide your secret, and Byakuya fucked around with your body.” Hiro gulped. “It was a close one. But nobody minded, dude.” He smiled. “Whatever pronouns you use, however you dress and see yourself as, it’s okay.” 

Chihiro sniffled and smiled. “R-really? Thanks…” He wiped his eyes. “I wanted the chance to be stronger before I told everyone the truth, but I guess I’ll just have to settle with being myself. I...I like wearing girl’s clothes, I’ll admit. But I’m a boy.” He swallowed hard and nodded, then smiled at Hiro and chuckled a bit. “And what did you mean, kinda dead? My head is cracked open you silly…”

Both Hiro and Leon couldn’t help but laugh a little at that, albeit Hiro couldn’t help but blush at his word choice. “Sorry, it was an awkward conversation to have…”   
Chihiro chuckled and nodded. “It was, wasn’t it? I don’t blame you.” He frowned a bit. “Have either of you seen Mondo yet? I wanna tell him I’m not mad that he hurt me. Well, I am a little mad, that fucking hurt. But I don’t hate or resent him.” 

Leon held his chest and gasped. “Holy shit, you said fuck.” 

Chihiro scowled at him. “Yeah, I’ve said fuck before. You should’ve heard me when I would play video games.” He laughed. “I curse up a storm then.” He sighed. “I wonder if they have anything like that here? It’d be nice if I could do something like that...but then again, I’m a ghost now so…” He shrugged. “But what about Mondo?”

Hiro swallowed hard. “Not yet. It might take him longer. His death was pretty gruesome. He was spun around on a motorcycle in this ball thing and got liquefied.” He couldn’t help but make a face.

To no one’s surprise, Chihiro began crying again. “Really? That’s horrible! Guess I’ll have to try and keep an eye out for him then.” He smiled at Leon. “It’s nice to see you again, though!” 

Leon laughed. “Yeah, dude! It’s been great chilling with Sayaka and Hiro, but now it’s a real party!” He gave a thumbs up, then wilted. “I mean, it totally sucks that you’re dead, of course.” 

Chihiro chuckled and nodded. “No, I get it. It’ll be really nice when we find Mondo too.” Hiro couldn’t help but feel like he was witnessing an inside joke or something. Like Chihiro and Leon knew something he didn’t. And...since when were the two of them so close? The way they acted towards each other had the warmth of close, long-time friends. Not people who had only met a few weeks ago. 

That mystery aside, Hiro had finally begun to feel a bit drowsy and couldn’t help but let out a yawn. “Well, it’s been fun guys, but I should be getting to bed. Being alive and it being like, 1 AM.” He snorted. 

Both boys said goodnight, and Hiro once again had the feeling he was left out on something. Maybe it was just the fact that they were dead or something, in which case it was really creepy. But Hiro decided not to dwell on that.

“Night, Chihiro. Leon. Have fun haunting the school or whatever.” He snorted and turned to go back to his room, rubbing his eyes a bit from the sleepiness. 

And almost walked into Taka. 

“Who...who were you talking to?” It was the first time Hiro had heard the boy speak since the trial and he couldn’t help but feel his blood run cold. Fuck, how much had he heard?

The clairvoyant froze, eyes wide. He laughed nervously. “I uh...y’know, just...talking to myself?” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

He was only met with another confused and vacant look. “But you said goodnight Chihiro and Leon. They’re both dead. And it sounded like you were talking to someone.” 

Hiro gulped and shrugged. “I just...it’s a coping thing I guess?” Man was that a dumb excuse. No wonder everyone thought he was just an idiot. When he was put in a high pressure situation like this he could only freeze up. 

“...Okay.” The hall monitor deadpanned and then walked past Hiro. No lectures, no further questions. He seemed so...lifeless. Like a robot. 

With an internal groan Hiro followed him. “Hey, I don’t mean to bug you or anything, and I know I can’t say anything to really help, but...if you need anyone to talk to or whatever, I’m here.” The way everyone had just continued on without Taka, as if he was only the annoying and neurotic hard-ass that was in their way...it was unfair. It made Hiro feel bad. He hoped that as time went on everyone would try to help Ishimaru more, but in the meantime it wouldn’t hurt to try and offer him a pillar of support (or as much of a support Hiro could be, as much of a hot mess as he was).

Taka seemed to freeze, his shoulders stiffening (as much as they could stiffen any more, considering his uniform). “Talk to? What is there to talk about? The fact that Mondo is dead? That it’s my fault? That I couldn’t stop him? That he was the only friend I’ve ever had and that he--” His voice was cracking, his fists were clenched. 

Hiro took a hesitant step and reached out to him. “It’s not your fault. That was Mondo’s mistake, his loss of control. Not yours.” He wished he could tell him for sure how Mondo felt. For the first time in his life, he wanted to use his...gift(?)...for something rather than ignore it. If it would ease the obvious pain the moral compass was in…

The only response he received was Taka pulling away from him and walking away, saying nothing. Leaving the air around Hiro thick with tension.


	4. Mondo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys...big ouch...sorry in advance to all Taka stans but y'all gonna cry. Next chapter will be happier tho I promise.

Unfortunately Hiro was only faced with disappointment when it came to the rest of the class comforting and offering the moral compass support. Hiro felt so helpless as he watched Taka withdraw more and more, not eating or sleeping. He barely ever spoke. He was more of a ghost than the actual ghosts were. And nobody seemed to really pay much attention to it, more preoccupied with escape and, eventually, Alter Ego. 

Speaking of which, he hadn't seen Chihiro since he had first appeared. According to Leon the programmer had completely thrown himself into finding Mondo's spirit. Which, as far as Hiro knew, was also missing. It was...weird. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or relieved. He was worried about his now deceased peers, but at the same time not seeing a liquefied bosozoku was a relief. 

It was about a week after Mondo's trial that Hiro finally heard Ishimaru speak again. Hiro had been eating lunch by himself in the dining hall when Ishimaru approached him, still somehow looking lost despite clearly coming to Hiro with a purpose. 

"Hagakure?" His voice had none of the volume or energy it once held and Hiro felt his heart sink further. 

He looked up and tried to smile warmly at him. "Hey buddy, what's up? I can make you something for lunch if you want." 

Ishimaru seemed to barely hear him as he sat down across from the clairvoyant. He looked at Hiro with nearly empty eyes. He had very apparent bags under them now. "I know you were lying that night. The night after...after bro's trial." He swallowed hard. 

Hiro could only blink, hoping that if he played dumb the subject would be dropped. "Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about." He shrugged. 

The moral compass suddenly seemed to gain some energy as he slammed his hands down on the table. "You KNOW what I'm talking about! You weren't just talking to yourself, you were talking to Chihiro and Leon. You can speak to the dead. I didn't believe it at first, but I've been following you." He looked Hiro dead in the eyes, obsessive and angry. "I've been watching. And I know your secret now." 

Hiro could only cower under the moral compass' intensity. "I...yeah. I can. I didn't really think anyone would believe me, and I don't really like to use it or think about it, but yeah I can see and talk to dead people." He looked down. He had a gut feeling that nothing good was going to come of this conversation. 

"Then you can talk to Chihiro and bro. I want you to do it. I want to speak to them." His scowl somehow deepened and he glared at the clairvoyant. "No excuses this time. I know the truth." 

Hiro swallowed hard, an aching ball of guilt forming in the pit of his stomach. "I... I can't. I haven't seen Fujisakicchi since that night and I haven't even seen Oowadacchi at all. I'm sorry, dude. I really am. I wanna help you, seeing you like this hurts." He bit his lip. 

Ishimaru seemed to regain a tiny bit of his former passion as he rose from his chair, hands still on the table. "Can't you just summon them or something?" 

Hiro shook his head. "Not how it works. I'm sorry."

"You're lying again! You're just keeping me from this cuz you don't wanna do anything for free!" He shouted at Hiro, tears in his eyes. "My family doesn't have money, but whatever I can pull together when I get out of here, I'll give it to you! I'll give you anything!" He was practically sobbing now and Hiro could only watch helplessly as he fell apart. "Please...I need to talk to them...I need to ask Chihiro for forgiveness...for letting him die. I need...I need to tell bro I love him." 

Hiro sniffled. "I'm really sorry, dude. It's not about money. I don't wanna take money for talking to dead people. I might be a conman, but I would never stoop to that level. I wanna help you, I really do. But I can't." 

The moral compass had completely lost his composure, the mask of emptiness was broken. He was bent over, head down as his hands gripped at the table. "How could this happen? And...why did it have to happen after I fell in love with him? It's not fair...I finally find someone and they're taken away from me." The dots connected in Hiro's head as he realized what Taka was saying. Oh. So it was that kind of relationship. That definitely explained Taka's intense grief. And it only made listening to him all the more painful. 

What could he say that would fix this? What could he do that would take away the hall monitor's pain? Hiro had never felt so powerless in his life. "I didn't realize it was like that. I'm so sorry, I really wanna help you. If I see either of them you'll be the first to know." He reached out to Ishimaru, trying to hold his wrist as a show of support. But his hand was only slapped away. 

"Just leave me alone. If you're not going to help me then I don't want to speak to you." The mask was back in place, and Ishimaru pushed in his chair and practically marched out of the dining hall. 

Hiro used his shirt sleeve to wipe at his tears, trying to compose himself. He felt like the biggest piece of shit on the planet, but what could he do? He wanted to try to help Ishimaru, the guy was a hard ass but that didn't mean he didn't deserve some kind of support and friendship right now. No matter what he did, he couldn't do anything in all of this. Right now all he could do was grip the table and attempt to steady his shaking breath.

He hadn't seen the hall monitor for the rest of the day, and had spent the rest of it keeping to himself and listening to Kyoko and Makoto and everyone whisper about this Alter Ego. It was hard to focus on that when his conversation with Taka still weighed so heavily upon him. Despite his low achieving academic status he had never felt so incompetent and powerless in his life. He eventually spent the rest of the day wandering around the school, looking for Chihiro in the hopes that he could at least somewhat help Ishimaru. But by midnight he was still unsuccessful and was forced to turn in for the night. 

The next day when he came to the dining hall he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope at seeing the familiar white uniform, but then that turned to confusion and then a really bad headache when he got a full view. It was hard to pay attention to the white hair and wild eyes when it felt like he was staring at a 3D picture without the glasses. It was like...Mondo and Taka were overlapping each other. Fused, but in a really sloppy and messy way. He could only blink and squint while wondering how the hell this happened. 

"Uh...Ishimarucchi? Are you okay? It's good to see you this morning…" Hiro attempted to greet him, hoping this was just a weird trick of his eyes or something. 

The amalgamation of souls that was currently glaring at him with angry, wild red eyes turned on him and bared his teeth. "Who the heck is Ishimaru? People keep calling me that or Taka or what the fudge ever and that isn't my name!" He growled at him. "My name is heckin' Kiyondo Ishida, don't you fricking forget it!"

"Uhh...okay. Cool. When breakfast is over can we talk? In private?" Hiro nervously smiled and squinted at Kiyondo. 

"Whatever, palm tree hair. We can meet in the boys' locker room." He grinned at Hiro and Hiro felt immensely unsettled at how feral he looked. "Pretty frickin' fitting, don't ya think?" 

Hiro could only answer with a nervous laugh as he went to grab his breakfast and collect himself. Whatever the hell was going on with Taka, it definitely didn't look good. Even if Hiro couldn't see the dead, the guy was giving off really bad vibes. 

Once he finished eating he walked to the boys' locker room with a rising sense of dread in his gut. Being around Kiyondo he definitely got the feeling that he was...wrong. Cursed or something. Maybe the dead weren't supposed to superimpose themselves over the living or whatever. 

Ishida was already waiting for him, he had barely touched his breakfast (although he had eaten a few bites, which made Hiro feel at least a bit hopeful) so he had gotten there plenty early. He tapped his watch impatiently. "Took ya long enough, lazy-butt." 

Hiro shook his head and finally gave up the charade that looking at Kiyondo didn't hurt his eyes, shielding them with his hand. "Okay, so something is definitely up. Could you please explain to me what's going on?" 

He was answered with a dark chuckle. "I don't need your services anymore, jerkwad. I found bro in Alter Ego, and I'm never letting him leave me again." 

Hiro frowned. "Um...but...I can see half of you is Mondo. So I'm a lil confused."

"Uhhh how am I supposed to talk to half of myself dummy? It feels better to talk to Alter Ego. But now I feel like actually living again, now that we're together." Together? So Kiyondo was conscious of how he appeared…

Maybe if he tried to address the problem directly he could better handle this. "Dude, this is messed up. I know Taka is grieving, but...this isn't going to help. Mondo, I know you're trying to help--"

"I'M NEITHER OF THOSE PEOPLE OKAY!" Ishida roared, pushing Hiro. "Both of them were weak! I'm Kiyondo. I'm better than them! So shut up and leave me alone pothead!" He stormed past Hiro, leaving.


	5. Kiyotaka

It was only after Hiro had managed to get out of that godforsaken suit that he found Taka's body. At this point, Taka's fatal wound was tame compared to what he had been seeing. That wasn't what had caught his eye. 

What had drawn his attention was the bosozoku that had liquefied a little over a week ago. He was kneeling over the body, head in his hands, sobbing. There was no point in being a big tough guy in death, huh? Hiro could only watch Mondo while the living investigated the body. And when Oowada had finally stood, meeting his eyes, he tried his best to subtly gesture with his eyes for him to follow the clairvoyant out of the room. Even if he was a prime suspect in this case, he felt like this was more important. Lately it felt like the lines between the living and the dead had been beginning to blur anyway.

"I'm sorry. I should have listened to you before. This...this is all my fault." Mondo scrubbed his face, eyes still shining. "I got him killed. I didn't want him to get hurt. I was trying to help. I wasn't really conscious of much, I just...felt his pain and eventually got drawn in. I wanted to protect him. When we were Kiyondo I found out he had thought about…ending it all and the idea of leaving him alone to do that...I just couldn't." 

Hiro shook his head. "No, I kinda figured as much. You guys were pretty close before you died." The part about Taka being suicidal was definitely cause for concern, though...but then again, there wasn't much to be done about that now. The thought made Hiro's stomach twist. 

Mondo swallowed hard and looked down. "Yeah. More than you guys know." Hiro couldn't help but think that he knew more than Mondo thought, but kept his mouth shut. Taka had said he was in love with Mondo, not that the feeling was mutual. He looked up. "Is there any way I can help? Everything is really fuzzy as Kiyondo, but maybe…" 

Hiro shook his head. "Even if you could help, if I gave that kinda information it would be suspicious. And I'm already the prime suspect." He smiled a bit. "Pretty sure I'm being framed." 

"Sounds like a bitch to me. Hope they figure out whodunnit. It would suck to have everyone die at this point." Mondo sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Is it weird that I really want a cigarette right now? You'd think the habit would die with my body…" He snorted, voice shaking with what was probably the effort to keep his emotions in check.

Hiro shrugged. "Dunno dude. I don't really know a lot about how being dead works. This whole shitshow is the first time I'm actually talking to dead people. And it wasn't willingly at first, mind you." He heaved an exhausted sigh. Sure, having people to talk to was nice, but when they bugged you in the middle of the night because they were bored and knew you could talk to them? Not so fun. 

Mondo could only nod nervously. "Right, yeah. I guess I'll just chill in the sauna and wait for bro to show up." He smiled a bit. "I really wanted him to live, to move on. He deserved to be happy, to have that chance to live. But...it'll be really great if I can hold him again." He looked up, eyes wide. "Uh." 

"I knew. Taka wanted me to do a seance or some shit to tell you he loved you. Also he wanted to apologize to Chihiro." 

Mondo blushed and grinned, but then that grin turned to a scowl when Hiro mentioned apologizing. "Why the fuck should he apologize to Chihiro? I'm the one that killed him." He shook his head. "Fuck, I need to find the little dude and talk to him. Good luck with the trial man." He began running off. 

That trial had been a little too close for comfort in terms of mortal danger, he had to admit. And he was honestly surprised that Celeste would do something so calculated and manipulative. Sure, she seemed like the type of person who would easily sell a fellow student's soul for a corn chip, but...to be that heartless? It was a surprise.

Instead of dwelling on that, Hiro decided to see if he could find Taka. He figured he would be confused like Chihiro, since they both had taken a blow to the head as their cause of death. He had started at the art studio and then began wandering from there. For a clueless dead guy the former moral compass sure was hard to fucking find. 

Hiro had finally procured the hall monitor in the first floor classrooms. He appeared to be trying to do math on the chalkboard in there, but everything he wrote was messy and jilted. Every answer (not that Hiro could have noticed) was wrong, and Taka kept mumbling in frustration. 

Hiro knocked on the threshold, stepping in. "Hey dude. Good news, the shitty math and handwriting isn't your fault. Bad news is you might wanna feel the back of your head cuz there's a lil something missing." He gave an awkward smile, unsure what to do. 

He was answered with a thoroughly confused expression. "Hagakure? What're you…" He felt his head and his eyes went wide. "The killing game...I remember now." He blinked a lot, then finally laughed in what Hiro could only consider an incredibly dorky laugh. "So I'm dead! I thought I was waiting for someone to show up for a tutoring session! Thanks for clearing that up!" He snorted even more dorkily. 

"What...the actual fuck…" Hiro could only stare at Ishimaru. 

Ishimaru's eyes took on an...aggressive gleam. "Where the fuck is Mondo?" 

He...said fuck. Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass, said fuck! Hiro could only quake in fear and shock. "Uh...he said he was gonna hang out in the sauna?" He squeaked.

Taka smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Apologies for the profanity, but…" He shrugged. "Ya know what? I'm not sorry! There's no reason for me to restrict my use of obscenities in the afterlife, goddammit!" He laughed and walked off with urgency, and Hiro saw as he got into the hall that he was breaking into a sprint. 

Hiro tried his best to follow after him, but eventually tripped and had to save himself from face planting because of the fact that he was in flip flops. After giving up and just walking, he finally got to the sauna. And when he got there he immediately turned around and left, because he really wasn't into watching a ghostly make out session. 

When he finally got to his room, tired and emotionally wrung out after this long ass day, he found Chihiro at the door. He smiled. "So I take it you and Mondo met up?" 

Chihiro nodded. "We did. He cried and wouldn't stop apologizing." He chuckled. "It's funny, now that he doesn't have to put up that front he's quite emotional. But it went well. We talked for a long time, about why everything with that happened. And then it just turned into a really long gush-about-Taka session." He smiled. "I'm assuming you were already aware of them being a thing." 

"Oh yeah. I just walked in on them getting busy. Didn't really think ghosts could fuck, but I guess I'm wrong." Hiro shrugged, just wanting to go to bed at this point. He didn't need to be reminded of how painfully single he was. Not that he wanted to force his bullshit on anyone else. He figured he'd probably stay single for the rest of his life. 

Chihiro laughed. "I guess so. It's weird to think they used to be at each other's throats all the time." His smile faded. "I hope this doesn't make being alive seem less enjoyable for you. Being dead definitely has its drawbacks. The boredom, the eventual mindless tedium." 

That was it, wasn't it? What really defined the difference between living and dead. The living grew, changed, constantly moved forward while the dead were stuck like mosquitoes in amber. Maybe living wasn't simply existing. Maybe living meant moving forward, growing and moving with whatever changes were thrown at you. Hiro could only nod and enter his room. "I'd much rather be alive, thanks." He snorted. "Night, Chihiro." 

Chihiro smiled and nodded. "I'm glad. I was worried about you. And goodnight. I'll make sure Leon doesn't bug you tonight." 

Hiro heaved a sigh of relief. "You're a fucking angel, Fujisakicchi." He chuckled and shut his door, going right to his bed and crawling in. The only prep was that he kicked off his flip flops before getting under the covers.


	6. Hifumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hifumi isn't a favorite of mine, I'll admit. But I tried to be objective with this and use my love for Celeste to try and help with that. Fun fact, she actually does make obscure manga references with her lies about her experiences in her ftes. The more you know, y'all. And for clarification, all of the dead students have their memories from before back.

Thankfully for Hiro, things finally calmed down a little bit. He should have been creeped out that there were more dead people than living ones in this school, and it would have a couple weeks ago. But now...it was almost comforting. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he figured it was best not to dwell on it for his own sanity’s sake.

What really unsettled him was how friendly and familiar the dead were with each other. Despite supposedly only knowing each other for a few weeks, they all seemed to get along like they were good friends. Leon and Sayaka had even started hanging out together more, and he had spotted them holding hands as they were walking through the halls one day. Since when was Sayaka actually interested in the guy? Wild. 

Not mention how...together Mondo and Taka acted. Granted, they had been close before Mondo died, but...they acted like they had been together for years. It was more than just good chemistry, it was...well, what was it? What did it all mean? 

“Hey, if you guys knew each other before all of this, you’d tell me, right?” Hiro had nervously asked Leon a few nights after Celeste’s trial (both of whom hadn’t really appeared yet, not that Hiro was actually looking for them considering the circumstances). Hiro had begun making it a habit to hang out with the dead in the rec room at around midnight or so. It wasn’t like he was sleeping well anymore, and the tense atmosphere after finding out about Sakura didn’t help.

Leon bit his lip and looked down. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, man. It’s...it’s complicated, alright?” He smiled. “Just worry about making it out of here for all of us, okay?”

Since when was Leon so caring? “Why do you even care if I survive? We weren’t really friends before you died, sure we got along well but...I don’t have any friends dude. I never have.”

Leon swallowed hard, running a hand through his hair. “Right, right...sorry. Guess all the free time has allowed everyone to get to know each other. And you were kinda a big help when I first died. You’re a calm and easygoing guy, and the fact that you could see me and I wasn’t alone…” He smiled a bit, almost looking a little sad. 

Hiro wasn’t sure how, but he felt like he had hurt the former baseball player’s feelings. “I guess that makes sense. Certainly would explain how you and Sayaka are a thing now.” He smiled a bit.

Leon laughed. “You noticed that, huh? Yeah, figures I’d be fuckin’ dead when I finally get a chance with her.”

“You ever apologize for calling her a skank during your trial?”

“Of course I did!” Leon glared at him. “I couldn’t stop apologizing after I died. What happened that night...it was fucked up, it shouldn’t have happened. And when I was about to be executed I...I fucking panicked, y’know? I wasn’t ready to die! I wanted to live!” He grit his teeth.

Hiro put up his hands in surrender. “Okay dude! Sorry I asked!” He ran a hand through his dreadlocks and panicked as he tried to think of a way to change the subject. “Ogre’s the traitor, apparently. It’s weird, cuz she seems like the super loyal type, y’know? Especially to Hinacchi. But things are getting really tense with everyone. I’m kinda scared…” He swallowed hard. 

Leon looked worried. “Are you afraid you’ll get murdered? Or…” He shook his head. “Just whatever’s going on, lay low dude. If you get any notes asking you to talk, just ignore them. Doesn’t matter what happens, even if we aren’t that close, I want you to make it through all of this.” He smiled. 

It was touching, how Leon was rooting for him. Hell, it was nice that anyone was rooting for him for once. And he would have expressed his thanks had Chihiro not entered the rec room. “Fujisakicchi!” He grinned. “How’s my lil computer buddy!” 

His little computer buddy was deep in thought, carrying a desktop computer and laying it on the ground. He sat in front of it and began tinkering with it. 

Mondo came over from the pool table, where he had been teaching Taka how to play. It was heartwarming how relaxed and happy the former hall monitor was in death. Maybe he could finally have some peace in death that he could never find in his life. Hiro didn’t know his full story, but he had gotten the impression that Taka had gone through a lot to get into Hope’s Peak, and that he had never been this relaxed or casual in his life. “Whatcha got there Chi?” Mondo squatted next to the small programmer. 

“I found it in the administrative offices and managed to sneak it down here. Managed to open up the gates to the different floors temporarily. They closed almost as soon as I opened them, though, and the security system has extra firewalls put in place now. Sorry, Hiro.” Chihiro looked up at him with guilty eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, dude. Not like the others would believe that I was talking to everyone from beyond the grave or whatever.” 

Taka hugged Mondo from behind and hummed. “Why bother playing with it? It’s not like we can get internet access in the present situation.” 

Chihiro nodded. “I know, I just got bored.”

Leon snorted. “Yeah, sounds about right.” 

If everyone was starting to get bored when they had electricity and entertainment, what would happen when things began to decay? Even if everyone in the room was dead, they were his friends and he couldn’t help but worry. Hiro sighed. “I dunno what you guys are gonna do when we leave this place. What if it gets torn down or abandoned?” 

Mondo shrugged. “We’ll figure somethin’ out, we’ve got Chihiro and Taka after all. All the brains we need.” He smiled and kissed Taka. They really needed to tone down the pda. Hiro didn’t mind affection or romantic shit, hell he himself wasn’t straight. But this was getting to be a bit too much. Or maybe Hiro was just jealous. 

“Aw, bro, you said I’m smart!” Taka grinned. 

“Hell yeah you are.”

Leon cleared his throat at them. “And we aren’t?”

Mondo snorted. “You really want me to answer that?” 

Leon growled and balled his fists, baring his teeth. Chihiro put out his arms like a lion tamer dealing with unruly pets. “Guys, please calm down. We don’t need to fight like this. Either let it go or one of you leaves.”

Mondo rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll back off. Fuckin’ missed the part where I was callin’ myself stupid too, but whatever.” He turned to go back to playing pool. 

“Bro, you aren’t stupid at all, you take that back!” Taka jabbed his finger at Mondo’s chest. 

Mondo laughed a bit. “Okay, okay. I take it back.” He grabbed Taka’s hand and pulled him to the pool table. “C’mon, we still got a game to play.” 

Leon folded his arms. “If I wasn’t finally catching a break with girls I’d be jealous of them.”

Hiro sighed. “Yeah, that makes one of us.” He folded his arms.

Leon looked over. “Dude, I’m sure you’ll find someone. Just gotta get out of here first, right?” He smiled. “Pretty sure Kirigiri is into Makoto and...Hina and Sakura are definitely a couple. I caught them kissing in the kitchen yesterday. God that was awkward. And Toko is...Toko.” He winced.

“Why am I not surprised?” Hiro chuckled. “I mean, I don’t date only girls, y’know.” 

Leon hummed. “Oh, then that changes things I guess.” He thought for a moment, then frowned. “No it doesn’t, you’re only real option right now is Byakuya.”

“Right…” Hiro winced. “I don’t really think dating anyone is an option right now. One, we’re in a literal killing game right now, and two, have you forgotten I’m like, four years older than everyone here?”

“Yeah yeah I know but I meant for the future!” Leon waved a dismissive hand. “I mean, nobody is gonna understand this experience except for the people that make it out of here. And you guys will probably be close enough that...I dunno dude, I’m just trying to be the supportive best friend!” 

Hiro smiled wide. “Best friend?” 

Leon blinked. “Yeah, best friend.” He smiled a bit. 

Hiro left the rec room in higher spirits than before, spending time talking to Chihiro and Leon always did that. Even if they were dead, having friends was such a nice change. It almost made all of this crazy shit bearable. Almost. 

He was brutally reminded of his situation when he passed by the art studio and noticed the light was on. He was pretty sure no one living would have any business in there, since the curfew was completely thrown out the window at this point. Everyone hung out in their own respective areas doing what they wanted when there was free time. 

But who would be in here? 

Hiro took off his flip flops, putting them together not only to keep from making a sound as he snuck in, but also as a makeshift chancla in case of a threat. He crept into the art studio, on edge and ready for anything.

He couldn’t help but groan when he saw Hifumi drawing at one of the easels, sitting on a stool and mumbling to himself. “Dude, don’t scare me like that, Jesus…” 

Hifumi was so startled that he fell off of his stool and yelped. “Agh! M-Mr. Hagakure! Wh...what are you doing here? And how can you see me? I am dead, after all.” 

Despite the obviously present blow to his head, apparently Hifumi had been hit in just the right way so that he remembered everything. “Yeah, I can see dead people ‘n shit.” He scowled and still smacked Hifumi with his flip flops. “And fuck you and Celeste for tryna frame me! Assholes!” 

Hifumi screeched and squirmed to escape Hiro’s chancla to no avail. “I-It was Celeste’s idea! I only went along because she told me Mr. Ishimaru had assaulted her! I couldn’t let that go unpunished!” 

“Bullshit, you were just pissed cuz you thought he took Alter Ego! Ishimarucchi would never fucking do that! He’s a good guy and news flash! He’s fuckin’ gay! That’s not an insult or anything, he told me he's only attracted to dudes!” 

Hifumi whimpered. “Okay, maybe I bought into that obvious lie, but you don’t understand! Ms. Ludenberg was...special! I would have done anything for her!” 

Hiro gave a digusted glare. “Yeah, special in that she was a fuckin’ psycho who ordered you around and treated you like shit.” 

Hifumi finally crawled into a sitting position and slumped. “Yeah, part of that was just part of...y’know, the whole master-servant thing, but...there was more to our relationship than that.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “She liked manga, like I did! Really obscure gambling manga too! A real-life, pretty girl who I could talk to anime and manga about…” 

On the one hand, Hiro wanted to gag at the bdsm aspect of their relationship that was apparently going on, but on the other hand...he knew what it was like to be lonely and insecure. “Did she actually like you back, or was she just using you?”

Hifumi looked down at his hands, sighing. “I honestly don’t know. She’s...complicated. She first tried to tell me about her experiences gambling, but she was actually referencing a really obscure manga and I called her out on it. At first she was so pissed, but...it was the real her, just for a second. Part of me just wanted to solve that puzzle, even if she wasn’t Princess Piggles.” 

“Yah, can we avoid talking about your creepy obsession with the magical girl child?”

Hifumi glared up at him. “That’s not all she is, you buffoon! She’s--”

“I don’t care, I don’t wanna know!”

With an exasperated sigh, Hifumi dropped the subject. “Ugh, fine. The point is, I was drawn to her, and even if she used me, I was okay with it. I knew she was gonna kill me, but I went through with her plan anyway because...I cared about her. I still do. She didn’t pity me because I was the dork, she was...she was different.” 

Hiro dropped his flip flops and slipped them back on. “Dude, that’s kinda fucked up. But I don’t have the time to deal with is, I’m gonna head off to bed. Everyone else is in the rec room, but I doubt you wanna go there cuz last I checked Mondo wanted to beat the shit out of you. And you can’t be beaten to death anymore, so I would avoid that room honestly.” 

Hifumi winced. “Right, I’ll just stay in here. I like it here, anyways. There are plenty of supplies and I don’t have to be held back by any physical needs!” He grinned and after some struggling stood up. “Sleep well, puny mortal!” 

Hiro groaned and walked out without a reply.


	7. Celeste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ya boi finally updated! The past month or so has been a wild ride y'all.

If Hiro heard Hifumi asking him if he had seen Celeste one more time he was going to go fucking insane. He'd thought Leon bugging him in the middle of the night was annoying? Ha! That was nothing. He would be eating his goddamn breakfast, minding his own business when Hifumi would just...appear and ask if Celeste had shown up yet. He'd been in the bathhouse once when Hifumi had asked him, for the love of God!

He had been stepping out of the bath (he never went into the sauna anymore, never again after what he had walked in on) when he had finally had enough. 

"M-Mr. Hagakure?" Hifumi had stuttered out just behind a naked Hiro. 

"Holy fucking Jesus Christ!" Hiro had shrieked, jumping and nearly slipping on the bath ledge. He was scrambling to get a towel to maintain some form of modesty. Normally he didn't really care about that sort of thing, but...Hifumi made him uncomfortable! 

"Ah, sorry. I just wanted to check in and see if you've seen Ms. Ludenberg."

Hiro glared at him, towel wrapped around his waist. "No. I have not. Please stop asking me. Especially. When. I. Am. BATHING!" Hiro bared his teeth at the deceased fanfic creator. 

"Since when do you bathe?" Hifumi scowled at him. 

What? How...how had he known about Hiro's hygiene habits? Sure, Hiro wasn't the best at that sometimes, but...he had tried to make a good first impression when he got here. "How do you know I don't bathe that often?" 

Hifumi shrugged. "Lucky guess? You're hair is all gross." 

"Fuck you! This is my natural hair!" Hiro growled and grabbed his bag to leave the bathhouse, he could change when he got to his room. "Don't ask me about your psycho crush again, alright?" 

"A-alright. It's just...lonely, y'know? I mean, Chihiro is nice enough, but the other dead students don't really like me. Normally I'd be okay with that, I'm not a popular person, never have been. But I don't have the...community of fandoms that I had before." 

Hiro slumped, once again regretting the gift he had been born with. "I just need some space, okay? Just give me space and stop asking about her. She wasn't good for you anyway, it's not healthy." He walked out of the bathhouse without bothering to hear Hifumi's reply. 

Unfortunately he had been so lost in thought that he pretty much slammed into Sakura. "Shit, uh, sorry, please don't kill me!" He squeaked, quaking in fear. The woman was fucking huge, and she had arms that promised that she could crush Hiro's head like a grape. He certainly didn't want to piss her off. 

"No, it's fine. I was actually hoping to talk to you. I would like to speak to you tomorrow morning, if that's alright with you?" Her stoic face and harsh features made her almost unreadable to Hiro. Was she...was she going to kill him? Was that her plan? She was the traitor, after all! It's not like she couldn't pull it off...but turning her down right now, when he was in his birthday suit with nothing but a towel…

"S-sure! Yeah okay!"

"Great, meet me in the rec room." She simply nodded and walked past him, leaving Hiro to internally scream in terror. This was it. He was going to die. A giant, terrifying lady was going to murder him and he was going to die. He didn't want to be stuck here forever! What was he supposed to do? 

By the time he got to his bedroom he was crying in fear while getting dressed. Maybe if he went and apologized, begged for mercy...no, no that would probably just make her angrier at him. God, this was so bad. Everyone was against each other, what with Hina taking Sakura's side and Hiro ending up on Toko and Byakuya's side (he didn't know how the hell that had happened but it did). 

He just wanted to go home, after all of this bullshit and being away from his mom in hiding over his Yakuza debt! If he died then...it was likely he'd never see his mother again, never get to say sorry for being such a disappointment of a son. Sure, he was a famous fortune teller, but he was irresponsible, greedy, stupid...And she had sacrificed so much for him. Even if he would never get the chance to get his shit together, he wanted to at least see her one more time and apologize for running off like that. And being a disappointment. Just seeing her in his motive video had been enough to make him start crying. Even when he hadn't taken all of this seriously yet. 

He groaned and flopped down on his bed. Maybe he wouldn't entirely give up. Maybe he could try and defend himself, if it would get him out of this hellhole. 

Whatever happened tomorrow, maybe he'd just let the winds of fortune decide his fate. 

"Have you ever tried using your talent in gambling?" 

Hiro blinked and looked over at his table. Lo and behold, the infamous psycho bitch was standing over it, looking at his tarot cards. "No." He shook his head. 

Celeste chuckled. "No, I don't suppose that would cross your little mind. It's interesting, this front you put up at times. You lie almost as much as I do, but you apply it in such foolish ways." 

"Front? What front?" He scowled. 

"Don't do that, don't pretend with me. I know better." She looked at him, her red eyes strangely calm for once. Her accent was gone too. "I said you're stupid, but you and I both know that's bullshit."

Hiro swallowed hard. "It's what people expect from me. It's what makes them trust me. Dumbass can't do anything too shady." Even if she had tried to frame him… She had a point. As much as Hiro hated to admit it.

Celeste sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "I can respect that. This persona I've built for myself is much the same. We're not so different, you and I." She smiled a bit. "Maybe that's why I've got your first name, and you've got my last. It's almost ironic, isn't it? I put up a front of control, and create a web of lies around it to manipulate everyone. You, on the other hand, put up a front of a lack of control, then use it as an excuse to cower and hide." 

Okay, this wasn't fun anymore. It hadn't been to begin with, but Hiro's mood was making his patience much shorter than usual. "What the hell do you want?"

Celeste's ruby eyes looked down. "What do I want...that's a good question, I guess. Control. Happiness. To be special, to never just be boring old Taeko Yasuhiro." 

"I didn't mean it in an existential sense."

"I know." She smiled. "I just...thought I'd talk to the guy who can talk to dead people. I could tell the whole time, by the way. Your microexpressions were a dead giveaway, especially during Chihiro's investigation." 

"Damn." Hiro mumbled, then scrubbed his face. "Alright, you've talked to me, given me a long-ass monologue. Prolly gonna join you guys soon anyways, so I don't see much of a point in talking if we're gonna end up spending eternity together." 

Celeste tilted her head. "Why do you say that? You can't just resign yourself so easily. Until the game's over, you never know what will happen." 

Hiro sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah? You think so?" 

"I know so. Even if my death was coming from a mile away, I don't regret fighting tooth and nail for my life." She hummed. "I was damned the moment Chihiro broke my rule of not going out past nighttime. That facade of control was gone, just when I needed it most. And it broke me."

"Sucks for you, but I guess you're right. Also, Hifumi won't stop asking about you." 

Celeste openly flinched. "Of course he is. The guy thinks that just because I enjoy manga that I'm somehow his soulmate or some bullshit. Then again...I doubt anyone among the dead will tolerate me besides him." She sighed.

Hiro hummed and closed his eyes. "Not my problem, psycho. I'm going to sleep, you can stay if you want but I'm not talking to anybody anymore." 

Celeste rolled her eyes and stood. "Fair enough. I'll leave you to it then." There was a few moments of silence before Hiro peeked open an eye to confirm that she was gone.


	8. Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and now you get my hc that Sakura and Mondo were buddies along with Hiro having a freak out session.

It was when Hina read aloud Sakura’s note that the martial artist appeared and scared the ever-loving fuck out of Hiro.

“That’s not my note…” 

Hiro couldn’t help but jump a little at the already tense situation being interrupted by one of the scariest people he’d ever met. And it was without thinking that he looked directly at her with wide eyes. How was she...nobody had ever been able to appear quickly enough for their class trial like this?!? What the fuck?!? “You can see me? I knew there was something shady going on with you! Tell her that’s not my note!” Sakura growled and balled her fists.

Hiro gulped and gave his head a tiny shake, trying very hard to communicate through the look in his eyes that now was not a good time.

“IF SHE DIES BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY!!” 

Hiro was literally quaking in fear at this point, unable to even pay attention to Hina yelling at them about how it was all their fault Sakura was dead. Sure, she was dead, but she was really really pissed off and that was a much bigger problem for Hiro right now. 

Sakura growled and moved to walk over to Hiro and he thought this is it, this is how I die. But apparently some higher power was favoring him today, since before he realized the bosozoku was there he was grabbing Sakura’s arm. “He can’t do anything right now, this trial is over, she’ll be fine. C’mon.”

Sakura growled and shot Hiro a pissed off glare before turning and letting Mondo lead her out of the class trial entirely. Which meant that Hiro could fucking breathe again. 

His ability to breathe was, unfortunately, temporary since Sakura was waiting for him when he got back to his room that night. “Oh god…” He whined and turned to leave.

“Wait, I wanted to apologize for earlier.” She had her arms folded as she leaned against his bedroom wall.

Hiro sniffled, already breaking into anxious tears. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I...I didn’t tell Hina that that wasn’t your note and I’m sorry for breaking that bottle over your head and I’m sorry I called you Ogre and I’m sorry I made you kill yourself please please don’t beat me up!” He sobbed and rambled on, shaking like a leaf. All this tension and anxiety of the past day or so was finally bubbling over.

He felt a large hand on his back. “You didn’t make me commit suicide. I did that because I wanted to end the conflict that was happening between everyone. To stop this killing.” She sighed. “And I know that you were afraid of me, I should have talked to you and reassured you instead of just letting you think I was someone to be afraid of.”

Hiro sniffled. “But I…” He looked up and Sakura’s rage and intimidation was gone. Her normally cold-looking blue eyes instead looked worried and sad. 

“It’s okay. Everyone is alive, and Hina…” She sighed. “Just make sure Hina lives a long, happy life, alright? That she moves on from all of this pain. And please tell her that what happened wasn’t her fault.” 

“Yeah, of course, but...why are you being nice to me?” Hiro sniffled. 

Sakura smiled at him. “Because you’re my friend. All of you are.”

“Even Fukawacchi?”

“Yes, even her. And I don’t want you to hurt each other anymore. I did what I did to protect everyone. Please make sure everyone is safe, for me.” She sighed and pulled him into a hug, one that was surprisingly warm and comforting for someone so strong and intimidating. “I’m sorry for threatening you earlier, I just...the fact that Monokuma replaced my note with that bullshit is completely unforgivable.”

Hiro sobbed and clung to the woman he had been terrified of just a few minutes earlier, finally letting out all the fear and tension that he had felt since this whole killing game started. A few rambling “I’m sorrys” slipped out as he bawled while Sakura rubbed his back. And when he finally calmed down he pulled away, wiping his eyes. “Thanks for that, I really...I really needed it. Y’know...I could like, help you talk to Hina yourself. If you wanted.” 

Sakura looked down, seeming to consider his offer. “No, I don’t think that would be good. Even if I want to talk to her at least one last time before she leaves this place, it wouldn’t be good for her. She would never be willing to leave if she knew I was stuck here.”

“That makes sense, I guess. Just thought I’d offer, y’know?” He smiled and bit and blew his nose with a tissue from his nightstand. “Man, was I lucky Mondo just happened to show up at the right time during that trial though.” He chuckled a bit.

Sakura snorted. “Yeah, we were pretty good friends, so he was probably watching my trial to see what happened.” 

Hiro blinked. “When did you guys have the time to become friends? He died pretty early on, and he kinda spent most of his time with Chihiro and Taka…” He frowned a bit. 

Sakura blinked. “Uh...we did some exercising in the gym a bit when this all started.” He never remembered either of them doing that, and it seemed almost like she was making up an excuse. But...there wasn’t any other explanation Hiro could think of, so it was better to let the matter drop for now. 

“Okay. I’m gonna go to the storage room and grab a water bottle to try and calm down.” He smiled a bit and went to leave. 

“Alright, I’ll probably just hang out with Chihiro and Mondo, then.” 

Hiro nodded and went out into the hall, then opened the storage room and stepped inside. He was surprised to find Byakuya in the back of the room, and...he was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled up to his chest? And making weird breathy sounds?

“Yo, Togamicchi, you okay?” 

Byakuya jumped and stared up at him with wide eyes, looking caught in the act. He was shaking and he looked tired… “What’re you doing here this late?”

“Getting...a water bottle? I kinda had a lil breakdown in my room so I thought I’d get one to calm myself down.” He frowned and crouched in front of the heir. “You okay?”

“I’m fine! I don’t need some hobo pitying me!”

Hiro sighed and sat down across from him. “Okay, rude and also I’m pretty sure you’re lying.” 

Byakuya growled and glared at him, his eyes looking bloodshot. “Just leave me alone. I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone.” 

Hiro decided to take a wild guess as to why the guy was curled up in a ball in a dark storage room. “Are you hiding from her?” 

Byakuya looked surprised. “That’s ridiculous! It’s not like she can break into my room and why would I hide in a place she could easily access?”

“Then how come you’re whispering?” 

Byakuya looked down, clenching his jaw. “Because I’m hiding.” He mumbled. “You all... you don’t understand how bad it is. She won’t let me have any peace! She leaves notes under my door, and she keeps trying to break into my room so I hear the lock jiggling for hours! Both her and the serial killer! And the notes from Jack are…” He shuddered and took off his glasses, then rubbed his eyes. “I barely get two hours of sleep a night.” 

Hiro shrugged. “You wanna stay in my room?” 

Byakuya looked up. “Wh--why would I want to stay in some dirty peasants room!” He glared at him.

Hiro smirked. “Well if not then I can leave you here for Jack to easily find you, especially since I would draw her attention leaving this room.” He shrugged. “I don’t sleep a lot either, so someone oughta put my bed to good use.”

Byakuya scowled. “Why aren’t you sleeping? What has you on edge?”

Hiro paused, eyes widening a bit. What should he say? Some random excuse? Or maybe… “I can see dead people and they won’t leave me alone, so I kinda just wander around at night.” Coming from a weirdo like him, Byakuya would probably scoff at the explanation and then dismiss it--

“Why didn’t you tell someone that sooner! We could have used that for the trials!” He growled. 

Wait, what? Hiro’s jaw dropped. “Hold on, you believe me?” 

Byakuya shrugged. “It’s not the weirdest thing happening in our lives right now. And you have been acting strangely.” He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know…”

Hiro raised a brow. “Okay...but it wouldn’t have helped with trials anyways, most of the time the dead only show up a day or two after they died.” 

“That’s awfully convenient.” 

Hiro sighed. “Yeah, I know.” He stood and held out his hand. “C’mon, I got some snacks stashed in my room I can share.”

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. “I’ve been nothing but rude to you, why are you doing this? Do you want money?” 

“I mean, if you offered money I wouldn’t turn it down…” Hiro smirked a bit. “Nah, I’m kidding. It’s just…” He thought back to how Sakura had shown him so much compassion after everything. “Sometimes a little compassion goes a long way, and you find kindness in the most unexpected of places, y’know?”

“I don’t.” Byakuya sighed and stood, brushing nonexistent dust off of himself. “But I’ll humor you if it means getting a break from being harrassed and stalked.”


End file.
